At the Game Awards, a new mode for Elden Ring was announced: Nightreign. It is a multiplayer spin-off for up to three players. However, those looking forward to hardcore PvP skirmishes will be disappointed. The new mode takes a completely different approach.
What kind of game is it? During the Game Awards, Nightreign was announced as a multiplayer spin-off of Elden Ring. In it, teams of up to three players must work together cooperatively. The goal is to survive three nights, fight opponents, collect equipment, and finally defeat a final boss.
No matter if you defeat the boss or kick the bucket early: at the end of a run, your collected equipment is lost. If you are victorious, you will at least receive some permanent bonuses for the next round. At the same time, the area where the fighting takes place is constantly shrinking.
This means Nightreign can be described as a kind of rogue-like with elements from battle royale. This may not necessarily be what long-time Souls fans expected – but a certain type of player could have a lot of fun with the game.
GameStar editor Elena Schulz felt the typical tension that the main game is known for while trying out Nightreign. Here you can find her preview on GameStar (paywall).
A race against time
How does the game work in detail? The rounds are started via the so-called round table. There, players can search online for random teammates, or rely on willing friends.
Next, you choose one of eight pre-made characters – your hero from the main game does not have access to Nightreign. The new characters include an assassin, a knight, or a healer. They correspond more or less to the classes from MMOs, and need to be cleverly combined to succeed in the adventure.
Once you’ve chosen a character, you proceed to the first of three gameplay rounds. As a team, you traverse the Limgrave area and fight monsters. The equipment found can be freely used. As usual, you collect runes and level up at the grace sites.
The individual nights are said to last only a few minutes. Accordingly, you must hurry when searching for loot. Important locations such as dungeons or ruins are said to appear in different places each round. The loot will also never be the same, so you must constantly weigh the value of visiting specific locations.
At the end of each night, a boss appears. The team must defeat it to emerge victorious from the round. Those who die beforehand can be revived by their teammates. If that’s not successful, you lose the collected equipment and the game starts over. At least certain bonuses can be carried into the next run – very typical of rogue-like games.
The battle royale in Nightreign is manifested in the fact that the map shrinks with each passing minute. Thus, the area in which you can fight becomes narrower and more dangerous as the game progresses. The finale then features a battle against a final boss.
Team players have every reason to be happy
What type of player is Nightreign suitable for? Nightreign is clearly aimed at team players. Those who stray from the group and do their own thing risk being overwhelmed and killed by enemy groups, without help nearby.
It is quite remarkable that FromSoftware is releasing a multiplayer game with Nightreign. After all, Elden Ring, as well as the other Souls games, were primarily designed for single players. While there has always been the option to summon other players for assistance or to fight them in PvP, it has always been somewhat cumbersome.
Moreover, there are parts of the community for whom defeating these games solo is the only true option. Those who seek help are quickly deemed too weak. Nightreign sends an important message here: teamwork is not only encouraged, it is actually a prerequisite for surviving the new mode.
The actual difficulty level is not expected to change, however. Those worried that the game will be a walk in the park can rest easy. Nightreign will essentially be Elden Ring. So, you will still suffer as usual, just this time accompanied.
What do you think of the announcement? Are you excited that FromSoftware is trying something new with Nightreign? Feel free to let us know in the comments. Of course, this was not the only announcement from the Game Awards: In a new shooter, you will scour the map for loot and engage in a final battle with mechs
